Greetings: A Glitched Duo
by DigitalRepel
Summary: Being a glitched Digimon is debilitating, but is there a reason for it? (( OCs. Glitched/non-canon Digimon. Based on the moiaandsassy tumblr RP/ask blog. ))
1. Chapter 1

_The wasteland was dark. It was always dark. Even during the time the sun was highest in the sky, its warm, reassuring light never reached here. Why would it want to? All that resided here were repulsive scourges of the Digital World. Not even Data or Vaccine types wandered their ways into the wasteland._

_His eyes opened. They were pale, like a white film rested over them. The skin surrounding him unfurled, creating a menacing cape that blew haphazardly behind him. His red claws brushed over his helmet, shielding his eyes from the little light there was. No one besides him was here._

_Metal clanged beneath him. A deep purple dodecahedron opened itself, extending metallic claws outwards around him. It lifted from the ground with little strain. He floated there for a moment, slowly looking around. No one besides him was here._

_So what had stirred him from his slumber?_

_The dodecahedron moved forward, clicking and clanging eerily in the misty wasteland. Since he was awake, he might as well seek out an opponent. He needed their data. He needed every bit of data he could obtain._

_An opponent showed themselves quickly. A BlackGarurumon growled first, then yelped in terror. His metallic claws shot out at the other Digimon. He didn't stand a chance. He had been to frightened to move._

_This was how most of his opponents went. Rarely did they ever fight back. Why would they? Seeing him was the same as seeing your demise._

…_It should have been._

_Yes, his appearance did so much for him. His kind, his name, all giving him a rank that he was supposed to have. Supposed to, but didn't truly._

_His existence was a bluff. A cruel joke. Uploading the other Digimon's data hurt. He gritted his teeth to fight the pain. His very being wavered, his form clearly unstable. Pixels appeared. They changed color. He glitched, and couldn't help but groan. Pure willpower pulled himself back together._

_At least, that's what he told himself it was. Deep down, however, he knew there was a reason that he needed to keep from being deleted. He needed to grow stronger. He needed to exist._

_Even though he was only a shadow of his kind.__  
_


	2. Chapter 2

"Is anyone there!?" a voice called in the distance, cutting through the thick silence of the fog encasing the wasteland. "Please! I just want to go home!" panic creeped into the cry, choked sobs muffled by fabric sounding every now and again. "Someone! Please!" she screamed, but there was no one to hear her.

Something growled nearby. She froze, terrified. Were those eyes in the mist, or was her mind playing tricks on her? The girl fell to her knees, covering her face with her hands. This couldn't be happening. It was all just one, big nightmare. She wasn't really here, she was back at home in bed, or asleep in class. She'd wake up soon. This couldn't be-

The growling got closer. She couldn't doubt it anymore, there was something in the mist, and it was moving towards her. The girl dared to look up. Four red eyes gleamed down at her. Suddenly, her entire body was paralyzed. Thoughts of fleeing were the only ones she could make sense of, but her legs wouldn't move. No, she couldn't even blink. Couldn't even cry. Worst of all, however, was that she had to watch as red claws were raised into the air, positioned to come down and end her forever.

A sound distracted the monster. It swiftly turned its head to see the noise, breaking the spell. The girl stood on shaky legs, making a move to run for her life. She didn't make it a step before red claws pinned her to the rocky earth beneath her. A choked yelp escaped her, but she couldn't manage a scream.

Just as it was about to open its maw, the creature let out a snarl. The sound pierced through the air, more recognizable now that it was closer. Metal on metal clanged nearby. Something else- a chain being retracted… Or extended? Before she could decide, something flashed and, suddenly, the beast that had been trying to kill her was screaming, held in silver claws that fled back into the mist without a trace.

Still, she couldn't scream. All the girl could do was stare into the fog, listening to the yells and snarls of two beings battling. They quieted down after a moment. Slowly, she stood, muffling sobs with her hands as she backed away very, very slowly. After just a moment, she'd turned completely around and had taken a few hard steps in the opposite direction.

Something stopped her. A pained noise came from the mist behind her. It wasn't the sound of a monster. It was a _voice_. A real, live, human voice. And whoever the voice belonged to sounded hurt. Did she dare? Her body moved before her mind did. The girl walked deeper into the mist, towards the noise. It was as if she was drawn to it.

She stopped only when she could fully make out the silhouette of someone. Whoever they were, they were standing on some big machine and… absorbing the monster? Something that looked almost like _pixels_ were fusing into his body, which looked as if it was going to break down into them at any second. The person groaned again, and the machine wavered.

It happened so quickly. The ground shook, knocking her off her feet. Dust was sprayed everywhere, dirtying her clothes and body. When it settled enough so that she could see, she gasped, coughing as a lung full of dust clogged her lungs.

The machine had fallen. One of the claws was close enough for her to touch. It was silver, and the chain connecting it to the main dome was shaped like… DNA? She didn't dare touch it.

Not far away, she could see the shape of someone on the ground. Again her body acted first; the girl ran to the person, realizing as she got closer that things were not as she first assumed. It wasn't until the other was in clear sight, less than three yards away, that she really understood what she had witnessed.

Actually, no, that was the wrong word for it. She didn't understand _anything_ she'd witnessed, not since she got here, anyways. But she did know that what was laying in front of her wasn't a person… and if it was at some point, it certainly wasn't anymore.

He wasn't just on the machine. He was _in_ it. No, he _was_ it. This was another monster, just like the one that attacked her, only much, much bigger. She didn't know what to make of this, but couldn't bring herself to leave just yet.

The girl dared another step forward. That was a mistake; she immediately lost her footing and fell, landing easily within reach of the monster's claws. Its head was only four, maybe five feet away. She remained perfectly still for a moment. Its eyes were closed, though she could clearly see that he was still breathing.

Just as she was about to pick herself up off the ground, something in her pocket beeped. It was the tiny device that she'd suddenly obtained when she was thrust into this world. Pulling it to her, she looked at the screen. On it were the stats of something, and a very pixilated image of… _the monster_?

Confused, she looked back at the thing she was now laying beside.

Its eyes were open.


	3. Chapter 3

_That Devidramon had been attacking something. Was it another Digimon? First thing first, he needed to destroy it. It took more effort than it should have. Did he dare upload its data? He had to. He needed to become stronger. Could his glitched body handle it?_

_No. The dodecahedron shook violently, his main body arching in pain. He didn't scream, but he couldn't stop a groan from escaping his jaws. It hurt. It was worse this time- much, much worse. His ability to remain levitating left him. He'd hit the ground before he realized he was falling._

_Pain mercilessly wracked his body. He blacked out, he was certain of it, although he didn't know if his main body had been on the ground before or after he did. The position he was in was dangerous. If another Digimon saw him now…_

_A noise. No, don't let it be another opponent. He couldn't fight now. But that hadn't sounded like a hostile Digimon. In fact, it sounded like someone had fallen. There was a faint beeping sound. There was no avoiding it- he opened his eyes._

_Was that a Digimon? A girl laid there, clearly having tripped, staring at a small mechanical device in her hands. She looked confused. Her face was tear-streaked and red, and there were a few cuts and forming bruises on her. No, this wasn't a Digimon. It couldn't be._

_She looked at him. Her face went from puzzled to absolutely horrified. The two were silent for a moment. There was something about this creature… it was strange, like feeling something completely knew but infinitely more familiar than anything he'd ever known. The thought humbled him._

_He twitched, gritting his teeth and screwing his eyes shut. It still hurt. The effort it took to turn his head away from her and up to the sky was pitiful. For a moment, he forgot the other was there, trying desperately not to scream._

_Something touched him. His eyes shot open, only to be shut again when a flash of light broke from somewhere above him. Was this it? Could this be deletion?_

_No. He felt… warm. A strange feeling of safety washed over him, but the prospect of it frightened him to his very core. What was happening?_

_Did he dare? Yes, he did. He didn't have a choice. Slowly, his eyes opened. He didn't see anything at first, just mist. Had he imagined what he'd seen only moments before? No, he still felt warm._

_Something touched him. His main body had never been touched before. Not gently, at least. As he became more aware of everything, he realized that there was a pressure on his chest, and… wetness? Something shook lightly._

_He understood. It was the girl he'd seen. She was leaning on him, trying not to sob. Despite her efforts, he could easily make out small, choked gasps. His body acted before he did, one clawed hand moving- painfully- to rest on her back. She stiffened beneath his touch._

_"…I'm scared," her words were faint, so quiet he almost didn't catch them._

_"{…So am I,}" his reply was even more hushed. The girl seemed to pause. He wondered if she'd heard him. She moved carefully after a moment, trying not to put to much pressure on him, he assumed. It wasn't until she was able to look him in the eye that she stopped._

_They were blue, but they looked clouded. Like a layer of white film rested over them. Her eyes were familiar. Tears still fell from them, dripping down onto his helmet._

_"{You don't need to be scared,}" he found himself saying, though he wasn't quite sure why. There was another beep- he assumed it was from the little device again._

_"Yes, I do," the girl choked. "I don't know where I am… I'm lost. There are monsters here," she was starting to sob again. He brought his other hand up to her face, wiping away the tears that fell._

_"{I got rid of the monster,}" he replied quietly, the pain from uploading the Devidramon's data finally starting to ebb away. As his mind cleared, he began to feel more and more foolish. He was a monster. He should end her now and be done with it._

_"Why are you scared?" her question surprised him. Had he said he was afraid? Yes, he had. Why? There was nothing he was afraid of… no, there wasn't supposed to be anything he was afraid of. Why was he scared?_

_"{I'm sick,}" his eyes closed for a moment, unable to look back at the girl._

_"Can I make you better?" that was the last thing he'd expected to hear. Opening his eyes, he saw that she'd stopped sobbing. Her expression was more resolved now, less frightened. "What is this?" she held up the little device he'd glimpsed briefly before to show him._

_He knew what it was. He knew exactly what it was. Every now and again he'd come by an old code with an image of the device engrained into it. Other Digimon spoke about it, both with fondness and abhorrence._

_A Digivice._

_His eyes widened. So he had been right, she wasn't a Digimon at all. She was a human. Someone must have brought her into the Digital World to seek out her partner Digimon… but why would they drop her here?_

_Unless…_

_"You know, I can tell," her voice was strained._

_"{Yes, I know what it is,}" there was a little sprite on the screen. It was a strange shape with a small figure on top of it. There were bars next to it, but only a few- they weren't full. The real kicker, though, was that every once in a while, the screen would glitch._

_"It's you, isn't it?" she asked, whispering as if she couldn't manage anything louder._

_"{Yes. It's me,}" his voice matched hers in volume._

_There was a long pause. The two watched each other intently, eyes locked and unmoving. He knew they were thinking the same things; so many questions, but not to be asked here._

_"{Will you trust me?}" his hands moved to her shoulders, one rubbing her arm in a reassuring manner. She didn't reply at first. Her eyes remained on his, but, slowly, she returned the Digivice to her pocket and gave a small, certain nod._

_That was all the permission he needed. Grabbing her and pulling her close, he began to re-activate himself. His dodecahedron came to life, clanking and straining as it moved. Using his metal claws he managed to push and pull himself upright, the girl in his arms clinging to his neck the entire time._

_Finally, after some struggle, he was upright and levitating a few feet off the ground. He held the girl, looking down at her curiously. She didn't look back up at him. That was fine, she was probably exhausted from everything that had happened anyways. He knew he was._

_His cape came to wrap around them as he began moving, heading for the closest thing to 'shelter' he could find. This area wasn't safe. At some point, he'd need to leave. But not now. Right now, he- they- needed to rest._

_It took a while. The wasteland was hard to navigate in. No real defining features- and even if there were, everything was shrouded in thick fog. Despite this, he didn't stop. He couldn't, it simply wasn't an option._

_When they did reach something, it was only a large rock that had a dent just barely big enough in it to be considered a cave. He hated caves, but this wasn't to bad. Rest was more important than his petty hatred anyways._

_He powered himself down, dodecahedron closing up completely and resting on the ground. His cape came apart a bit, just so he could look down at the girl. This time, her tired eyes looked back at him._

_"Hey," she said quietly up to him._

_"{Hello,}" he replied, watching her curiously._

_"What's your name?" the question surprised him, but it was justified, he supposed._

_"{It's Apocalymon. Who are you?"_

_"Moia," her voice began to fade, "but… I'm called Mo." The girl's eyes closed. It wasn't a moment later that she was fast asleep in his arms._

_"{…Greetings, Mo,}" he mumbled down to her, "{I'm your Digimon.}"_


End file.
